Boys Night In
by bbfan
Summary: Jack and Gibbs have a visitor. Second in the Four Months series, following 'Questions, Answers, and Apologies'. Jackson, Gibbs, and Fornell.


DISCLAIMER: NCIS and its characters are the property of DPB and CBS. This story was written for entertainment purposes. No money involved what so ever. No copyright infringement is intended.  
TITLE: Boys Night In  
AUTHOR: bbfan  
SUMMARY: Jack and Gibbs have a visitor. Second story in my 'Four Months Series', first story is _Questions, Answers and Apologies_.  
CATEGORY: Humor  
SPOILERS: _Rule 51 _thru _Spider and the Fly_… be warned! Also a couple of lead-ins for 8x02 _Short Fuse_.  
CHARACTERS/PAIRING: Jackson Gibbs; Leroy Jethro Gibbs; Tobias Fornell  
RATING: K+  
WARNINGS: Slight one for language  
AUTHORS NOTES: My 'Four Months Series' is about the four months Jack and Gibbs spent together after _Rule 51 _and after _Spider and the Fly_. There will be hints of Gabby throughout the series. A huge thank you to AngelQueen for the beta. Enjoy and please, FEEDBACK is much appreciated. Inspires me to write!

* * *

Jackson Gibbs watched his son as he sanded down the table he insisted on making him. It was a replacement for the old one that now laid in splintered pieces across the floor of his store. Paloma Reynosa and her men had destroyed the one already there when they had shot up the place.

Jack admired the workmanship Leroy put into it. He knew from experience that it took a lot of skill and patience to make anything from wood. Jack's father had made beautiful pieces of furniture, many of which were in the house back in Stillwater.

"You really do beautiful work, son," Jack said, breaking the silence.

Leroy looked up and gave him a sheepish smile. "I learned from the best," he said, as he went back to work.

"Yes you did. My father was very good at it. I'm glad you were able to put what you learned to good use," Jack stated.

"Was talking about you," Leroy said quietly as he leaned over the table, eyeing the work he had done.

Jack chuckled. "Well, I'm glad the few lessons I gave stuck with you. I wasn't even sure you were listening."

"I was."

"That's obvious. I've seen the toys you made. What other kind of projects have you completed?" Jack asked. He finally got his son talking. He'd been quiet all evening.

"Boats."

Jack just stared at him in disbelief. "Boats? You built a boat… a full size boat? Where?"

"A sail boat, down here," Leroy answered, still not breaking from the sanding.

Perplexed by what his son was saying, he looked around the basement. "But how did you get it -" he was interrupted by the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs.

* * *

"Don't you have anything better to do then sit in this damn basement and whittle?" Tobias Fornell said, announcing his presence.

"Not whittling. Sanding," Gibbs corrected without looking up from the wooden table. So much for a peaceful evening. "What are you doing here, Tobias?" Gibbs glanced up just in time to see Tobias make eye contact with his father. He gave the older man a slight nod.

Jack just stared between the two men. Suddenly, as if his memory had just magically returned, "Oh, I'm sorry, son. I must have forgotten. You know, old age can do that to you. Tobias had called earlier and said he was going to pay us a visit," he said, smiling mischievously.

Gibbs just rolled his eyes and went back to work on the table. _'Forgot, my ass…'_

"Jack, I brought dinner," Tobias said.

"Well, that was nice of you. I'll go up and set the table. I'll call you when it's ready," Jack said, as he walked towards the steps.

"What are you doing here, Tobias?" Gibbs repeated as he rubbed his hands over the table, searching for any rough spots he might have missed.

The man made his way across the basement to where he was working. Gibbs could literally feel the heat radiating from his body as he peered over his shoulder. _'Go away…'_

"Nice work, Gibbs," Tobias said, avoiding his question.

Gibbs stood up quickly and turned toward him, staring at him in a warning to back off.

Tobias stepped back and held up his hands. "Just here to trade in on that favor you owe me." He walked back to where the workstation was and grabbed for the bourbon.

Gibbs followed him, snatched the bourbon out of his hand and placed it back on the shelf. He wasn't in the mood for this. He really needed a little time to himself. Having his father staying here and the Reynosa case hanging over his head, he hadn't had time to think, let alone work on his latest project.

Hell, it seemed like the rest of the dirt bags in the world had it in for him too. Since his father's arrival, his team had solved two cases, the last one involving a child. Those were the most difficult ones to handle. He was tired and needed some space.

Staring at Tobias, Gibbs waited for what was going to come next out of the man's mouth. Much to his surprise, there was only silence.

"What? Am I suppose to guess?" Gibbs asked, exasperated.

Tobias rolled his eyes. "The main water line broke on my street. I have no water. Thought I could crash here for the night."

Gibbs moaned and rolled his eyes. "Damn, do I have 'Motel Manager' stamped on my shirt somewhere? First my father, now you?" he grounded out in a hushed tone. He kept his voice low so his father wouldn't hear and take it the wrong way. They'd finally found common ground in their relationship and he didn't want him to think he wasn't welcome.

"Hell, Jethro. This wasn't the way I wanted cash in on the favor. I was saving it for when something really important came up. Look, if you don't -"

Gibbs sighed, cutting him off. He was too tired to argue. "Couch." As he turned to go back to work on his table, he heard the upstairs door open.

"Dinner's ready, Leroy," Jack called.

Gibbs just stared at Fornell, digesting the smug grin on the FBI agent's face. The man had the audacity to think he was already in the door. _'Damn, you're one arrogant son-of-a-bitch.'_

"What? I found this new restaurant called the Punjab Express. Heard it was pretty good. Hell, you can take it as a peace offering," Tobias said, as he walked past him, the smirk still plastered across his face.

Gibbs hesitated for moment. He hated new… anything. "Better be good," he mumbled, following him up the stairs.

* * *

Jack busied himself by dishing out the takeout Tobias had brought with him. Wrinkling his nose at the smell of the foreign food, he divided it amongst the three plates. He was glad to have another person to talk to. Leroy had been so busy the last few weeks working, he'd hardly been home. The agents guarding him certainly couldn't provide him with any company; they stayed outside, patrolling the area.

The two men appeared at the table and began to sit down. They paused when he asked, "Aren't you two forgetting something?"

Tobias looked at table, then at Leroy and shrugged his shoulders letting him know he had no idea what Jack was talking about.

"What?" Leroy asked.

"Leroy, how many times do I have to tell you… wash-up?" Jack said with amusement, recalling a youthful boy who had to be told repeatedly to clean his hands before sitting down at the table to eat.

They stared at him for a moment, looking at him as if he'd lost his mind. Jack stared back expectantly. Without a word and acting as if they had been scolded, the two men slowly made their way to the kitchen sink.

"I can really see where you get it, Gibbs. You're just like him," Fornell said in a low voice, drying his hands.

"That's what I've heard," Gibbs replied, grabbing the towel out of the other man's hands.

Back at the table they all sat down to eat. Leroy caught a whiff of the food and cringed. Tobias took a bite and choked. Jack managed to get in a couple of bites before Leroy stood up, grabbed all three plates and took them to the trash. Dumping the contents, he put them in the sink with a thud.

"No more Punjab Express," Leroy growled, glaring at Tobias.

"Agreed," Tobias said.

Jack watched as Leroy grabbed a box off the counter. Bringing it to the table, he emptied the contents. Coupons from local restaurants scattered across the table.

"Since when did you start clipping coupons, Leroy?" Jack asked after a moment, surprised.

Leroy shrugged. "I pay alimony for two ex-wives, Dad. This one," he thumbed in Fornell's direction, "saved me from paying for the third."

"Let's not bring that up again, Gibbs… please," Tobias cringed.

Jack was astonished at the revelation. "You married one of his ex-wives?" he asked incredulously.

"Divorced her too," Fornell said, laughing.

Jack looked at his son standing there with an ornery smile plastered on his face.

"Hey, I warned him," Leroy added knowingly.

There was an odd silence between them. Then without missing a beat, Leroy and Fornell started shuffling through the coupons hastily. The embarrassment of sharing that bit of information was obviously too much for them both to handle.

"There's got to be one in here for a pizza or something," Leroy said.

"Here's one, Leroy, I mean, Gibbs," Fornell said teasingly and removed it from the

pile.

Leroy shot Tobias a look that said don't-even-go-there and snatched it out of his hand. "Give me that." He walked over to the phone, but then stopped and turned around to face Jack and Tobias.

Jack knew what was coming next and waited with anticipation. _'This was going to be interesting.'_

"What do you want on your pizza?" Leroy didn't disappoint.

Looking over at him, Tobias asked, "Is pepperoni, sausage and mushrooms, okay with you, Jack?"

Jack smiled, knowing full well Leroy hated mushrooms. "Sounds good to me."

"Aw, hell, Tobias. I _hate _mushrooms."

Leroy was quick on his feet, though. He picked up the phone and ordered the pizza, but added an Italian sub for himself. Hanging up the phone, he walked back over to the table and helped Tobias pick up the coupons.

Jack sat down on the couch and watched the two men work together to clear the table for their meal. Even though they worked in silence, he could tell that there was a special alliance between the two. Obviously the type of jobs they held had a lot to do with that. It was still fascinating to watch, though. After his son had enlisted in the Marines, Jack had missed out on quite a bit of his son's life. Shannon had done her best to keep him up-to-date on what Leroy was doing, but that had stopped cold after she and Kelly died. Now that he and Leroy were getting reacquainted, it was nice to know that Leroy had friends to share his life with. It was reassuring that he hadn't been alone all those years.

* * *

Tobias pushed back from the table. "That was good pizza." Looking at his watch, he added, "Finished just in time for the ballgame." Getting up he walked over to the television.

"You won't find the game on that idiot box," Gibbs said.

Tobias turned around. "Sure, it's on Sports Channel," he said, looking for the remote. He only found the one for the television itself. No cable remote was seen.

"Leroy doesn't have cable, just local channels," Jack complained.

Gibbs looked at the shock on Tobias' face and what amounted to a whiny frown from his father.

"You don't have cable? Everyone has cable, Gibbs," Tobias said, in disbelief.

"Told you, son," his father was quick to add.

Gibbs just stared at them both. "I don't, so I guess not everybody does, Dad," he said, bored with the same conversation he'd had with his father sense he arrived here. It was getting old. He didn't watch much television anyway. Most of his spare time, what little there was of it, was spent reading or working with wood in the basement.

Tobias sighed, turned toward his bags sitting by the door. "Well, I guess I'll just get my laptop and check my email."

"Humph," Jack groaned.

"Um, nope…" Gibbs said, matter-of-fact.

"What, no internet, either? Geez, Gibbs. You really need to move into the twenty-first century," Tobias said, shaking his head in astonishment.

"I get enough of that at work," Gibbs countered. He stood there taking in the sight around him. He wasn't used to entertaining people and it showed. Truthfully, he was at a loss as to what to do next. All he wanted to do was retreat downstairs and continue working on the table. He was thankful when Jack recognized his dilemma.

"Poker?" Jackson said, smiling.

* * *

Thank you for reading! Again, feedback is much appreciated!


End file.
